


The Waiting Game

by alchemicink



Category: Hey! Say! JUMP
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Gen, Humor, Slice of Life, Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:34:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22020361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alchemicink/pseuds/alchemicink
Summary: Chinen looks at the calendar on the wall once, twice, three times just to make sure today is the day.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10
Collections: JUMPing Fic Carnival 2019





	The Waiting Game

**Author's Note:**

  * For [incandescence](https://archiveofourown.org/users/incandescence/gifts).



> Uh, I saw urban fantasy in your signup and ran with it... :D

Chinen looks at the calendar on the wall once, twice, three times just to make sure today is the day. Every glance, however, confirms the date is correct. Of course, as if he'd be wrong. He takes a moment daily to mark an X over each day, drawing closer and closer to the one with the circle around it so there's no mistaking it.

The note on the tiny slip of paper in his hands matches today's date too, written with a neatly distinct scrawl. 

He taps his fingers against the windowsill as he stares out the shop window, examining each person walking down the street. As usual, it's a variety of people passing by. Businessmen and women in fresh-pressed suits trekking to their offices, mages browsing through the shopping district for necessities, tourists from out of town searching for souvenirs. None of them are the person he's waiting for. 

The bell over the door chimes, signaling a customer. 

"Chinen, I have an emergency!" Yuto trips over his feet as he rushes to a stop in front of the shop's front counter. "I accidentally dropped a bunch of bay leaves into a cauldron of wolfsbane oil. And now the whole potion is ruined." 

Yuto rushes into the apothecary about once a week with a different emergency, so Chinen isn't too concerned. 

"Let's see what I can do," Chinen chuckles, tearing himself away from the window to dig out Hikaru's textbooks resting on the back shelf. He should be able to figure out a solution without interrupting Hikaru himself whose been busy all morning working on his own experiments. 

Yuto browses the shop while he waits, examining the ingredients on display, taking the time to read the labels even though, as a mage-in-training, he knows most of them by sight now. Yuto pauses when he sees the circled date on the calendar. 

"Oh, is he coming back today?" he asks. 

Chinen looks up from the book, nodding excitedly. 

"Has he ever been late before?" Yuto continues, curious as ever. 

"Never," Chinen answers proudly as he climbs the ladder to retrieve the missing ingredient on the top shelf Yuto needs to save his potion from certain disaster. 

Yuto pulls out his credit card to pay for his purchase. "That's so cool," he smiles. "A true mage indeed." 

"Maybe you'll be that good at magic one day too," Chinen teases. Yuto pretends to pout. 

"Tell him I said hello," Yuto calls out as he exits the apothecary. 

Alone again, Chinen pulls out the slip of paper from his pocket. He'd found it three weeks ago wedged inside one of the light fixtures in the bathroom. Not the best of hiding spaces, but it beats the time he found the note hidden in the cash register and he'd almost given it away to a customer by accident. 

He taps his fingers again, this time on the countertop, while he waits. The anticipation builds in his gut as it always does waiting for the traveler to return. 

A muffled boom followed by several curses breaks the peaceful silence of the shop. 

Chinen dashes haphazardly towards Hikaru's workshop in the back, flinging the door open to see what's happened. 

Through a haze of smoke, Chinen sees Hikaru peering over his cauldron. He coughs and waves his hand around, trying to clear the air. 

"You okay in here?" Chinen asks, already feeling relieved it seems to be just another typical day for the potions master. As the smoke clears, he can see that the unexpected explosion has somehow turned Hikaru's hair a bright shade of pink. 

"Make a note," Hikaru says, dumping the contents of the cauldron into a large barrel, "fire salamander slime doesn't go well with wisteria." 

"Duly noted," Chinen grins, jotting it down in the nearest notebook. "You know, he's gonna laugh when he sees your hair." 

Hikaru pulls his goggles off and runs his fingers through his hair as if to check if it's all still there. "Is that today? Man, I should find a hat or something." 

Chinen laughs. "I'm sure we have something buried around here." He looks around at the carefully organized chaos of Hikaru's workshop. " _Somewhere_." 

About the same time Chinen unearths an old pointy witch hat out of the rubble of some old empty potion jars, he hears the front door bells chime again. He tosses the hat at Hikaru, which of course, being caught off guard, smacks him directly in the middle of his face. Chinen doesn't stick around for the scolding in favor of rushing to the front of the shop. 

"Oh it's just you," he says, disappointed to see the guy standing patiently by the cash register. 

"Hurtful," Takaki says, pressing a hand to his heart like it's wounded. "Not even happy to see me." 

"I'm always happy to see you, Yuyan." Chinen apologizes with a hug. "But I just saw you last week. I'm expecting someone who's been gone a little longer than that." 

Takaki's face lights up in understanding. "Ah, he's coming back today? Ask him to swing by my shop while he's in town. I've got some new seeds he might want." 

"Will do," Chinen nods. 

He then notices the bandages wrapped around Takaki's fingers. "So, uh, what can our humble apothecary help you with today? Healing potion?" 

Takaki glances down at his hands. "Oh, no. These should heal up fine on their own." He pauses and then grimaces like he's remembering something terribly unpleasant. "Actually I came by to ask if you have something like... the _opposite_ of fertilizer. Anti-fertilizer? I don't know, there's probably a name for it." 

"Anti-fertilizer? What?" Chinen can't hold back his giggles as he figures it out. "It's those tomato plants, isn't it?" 

"Yes," Takaki complains, exasperated. "They've started biting! It's the absolute worst. I can't pick any of the tomatoes without them nipping at me." He wiggles his bandaged fingers as a visual aid as if Chinen had forgotten their conversation from two seconds ago. 

"I _told_ you," Chinen laughs. "I told you not to mess with enchanted plants that _bite._ " 

Takaki lifts his chin up, determined not to concede the point. "Yeah, well, they're also delicious." 

Chinen doesn't argue anymore as he goes to search for something that'll make Takaki's plant problem a little more manageable. His customer slips to the back to chat with Hikaru while he waits. And after a while, Chinen is bidding his friend farewell again, promising to drop by the flower shop to see the tomato plants in person sometime soon. 

When the sun starts to set and Chinen's stomach starts to growl, he picks up the phone and orders delivery. Three meals, just in case. 

He and Hikaru eat their meal together, chatting about the potion master's experiments and planning a schedule for the upcoming week. Chinen stows the extra meal in the fridge, and glances at the calendar again. 

He's sure that he doesn't have the date wrong. 

He pulls the note out of his pocket again, lazily twirling his fingers above it to check if it's a fake or has been enchanted with extra spells. But his examination turns up nothing odd. 

Chinen frowns when he reluctantly locks up the shop at closing time. The clock ticks closer and closer to midnight as the hours slip away. 

"Don't make that face," Hikaru says. "It doesn't suit you." He's halfway up the stairs leading to their rooms. "You're worrying over nothing." 

Chinen knows Hikaru's right, but he's never had to wait this long for a visit before. 

"Give him my regards," Hikaru yells down the stairs a moment later. "I'm going to sleep. He can laugh at my hair in the morning." 

Chinen returns to the window to gaze out at the mostly deserted street, lit now by streetlights instead of sunlight. A few people pass by, probably on their way to a late-night bar or back home from a long day of work. 

After a while, sleep threatens to overtake him and he finds himself dozing off on the shop counter, the cool surface almost as appealing as a pillow. 

"Hey, sleepyhead," a voice calls out, and Chinen shoots straight up in shock, all of his exhaustion suddenly disappearing. 

"Inoo," he exclaims, a wide grin appearing on his face. "You _finally_ made it." 

A glance to the clock shows that it's after 11 p.m. but not quite midnight yet. 

"Did you doubt me?" Inoo replies, mirroring Chinen's expression with a grin of his own. 

"Never," Chinen laughs. 

Chinen doesn't ask how Inoo managed to get through the locked front door because he knows the mage has his ways. Instead, he focuses on the bags Inoo has brought with him, excitement spreading over him as he wonders what strange things he's brought back this time to restock the apothecary shelves. 

"How was the trip?" Chinen asks. "You're later than usual." 

"A wizard is never late, nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to," Inoo answers. 

Chinen snorts. "Don't think I don't know when you're quoting _Lord of the Rings_ at me."

Inoo cackles.

"Alright, alright. Traffic was terrible, trains were delayed, and I took a wrong turn in the Mountains of Lafan," he answers nonchalantly, shrugging his coat off his shoulders. 

"Lafan?! What were you doing up there?" Chinen exclaims. He ushers Inoo to the kitchen in the back where they can talk more comfortably... and have access to coffee. 

"Lafan," Inoo repeats fondly. "I was there for the dragons and their toenails, of course." He holds his coat up, gesturing to the giant burned hole in the back of it. 

"Well now, that looks like an interesting story." 

Chinen settles down at the table after he grabs Inoo's food from the fridge. He watches as the mage waves his hand and heats it up himself. 

"Oh, it's a riveting tale," Inoo begins, sticking a fork into the meat. "You've got some time?" 

"Plenty," Chinen chuckles. 

They spend most of the night sharing stories, laughter filling up the room. Just as the sun starts to rise again, they both decide they can't stay awake any longer. Chinen rolls out the extra futon for their guest. And then he finally drifts off to sleep knowing Hikaru can handle the shop without him for one day. 

The rest of Inoo's visit passes by in a blur. He's spends time going through each item he's brought back for the apothecary (with several breaks to tease Hikaru about his temporarily pink hair). He pops in and out to visit others in the city. He teaches Chinen a few more useful spells. 

When Inoo starts packing up again to leave, Chinen sighs. It's never easy to see his friend depart. 

"You sure you have to go?" Chinen says, watching as Inoo puts his newly-patched coat on his shoulders. 

"You know I do," he answers. "Who else is gonna bring you back griffin feathers and mandrake roots?" 

"Yeah, yeah," Chinen scowls. "Still though, I'll miss you." 

Inoo pulls him into a hug. "I'll miss you too." When he pulls away again, he's holding a small folded piece of paper. "We're still playing the game though, right?" 

"Of course," Chinen laughs, like that's even a serious question. "Hide it somewhere actually challenging this time."

"And not in the bathroom!" he adds as an afterthought. 

Inoo smirks, and then with a flourish of his fingers, the paper disappears. 

"Travel safe," Chinen calls after Inoo as he sets off down the street and eventually out of sight. 

Then Chinen turns back inside, scanning the apothecary shop and its contents. The shelves brimming with important ingredients, bottles of pre-made potions waiting to be purchased. And somewhere in the building Chinen knows there's a little slip of paper hidden. And on that paper is a date, the date for when Inoo will be back again with bags laden down with more items. 

Chinen grins and claps his hands together in anticipation. 

He wonders how quickly he'll find it this time.

**Author's Note:**

> I might could be persuaded to write more short fics in this universe..........


End file.
